Former NCCU official gets probation for misuse of money

Durham, N.C. — A former North Carolina Central University administrator pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of obtaining property under false pretense, according to court documents.

Franklin Carver was stripped of his duties as assistant provost and associate vice chancellor of academic affairs.

A state audit, released Feb. 12, said that Carver diverted federal research money to pay his credit card bills.

Carver was sentenced to supervised probation for 12 months and ordered to apologize to NCCU. He will also serve 100 hours of community service. Court documents show Carver has already paid restitution.

A three-month investigation showed Carver authorized nine checks, totaling $36,041, between April 2003 and March 2004 to people who shouldn't have received any money. The money was taken from grants to the university from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Minority Biomedical Research Support and the Overcoming Racial Health Disparities programs.

Seven of the nine checks, totaling $15,341, were cashed, according to the audit. The other two checks were caught by internal financial controls and denied.

Investigators also reviewed Carver's university-issued credit card account and found various personal items charged to the card, in violation of university policy, according to the audit.